60th Bronx Science High School Reunion

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Best! Reunion! Ever!

I didn't think we could top the 50th reunion. We did. Not quite as many people, but 160 is not to be sneezed at after all these years. Thanks to the Alumni Foundation for setting it up, and to the class social butterfly Susan Gilbert Levine for flushing everybody out of the woodwork to attend.

Please excuse my use use of maiden names. Reunions are about memories, and that's the name I remember you by.

[Note: in the captions, I sometimes have explanations for people who might not pick up on my point.]

Manhattan Penthouse was a great venue! (5th Avenue and 14th street, 17th floor.) Here's the view from the dining room window. I caught other views from other windows, but that's not what we're here to see.

As usual, Susan grabbed the microphone to MC the thing. Does one really need an MC at a HS reunion? Apparently many thought not, because Susan couldn't get people to stop talking. After several tries at "Quiet!", she commented over the live mike, "Mr Levinson never had this problem."

[Mr Levinson was the teacher who did the daily announcements before class, which of course involved quieting the auditorium. He was also the one who oversaw after-school detention. The connection became apparent to those who didn't hush up instantly.]

One of the first people I recognized was Rhoda Weinberg. Recognition was easy. For the second reunion in a row, Rhoda wins the "I look the same as I did in HS" award. With Rhoda (on the left) are Ann Dickar and Myra Kaplan.

Sheila Gogol came all the way from the Netherlands to attend. Always good to see her.

Susan poses between Steve Barrish and Marvin Kalickstein.

Cleonis Golding and Michael Pine. This may be the first time since school that I've seen Cleonis without her twin sister Constance. I worried, so I asked. Constance is fine; she had a wedding to attend today and couldn't make the reunion.

Cleonis looks a lot like she did in HS and college. Michael, on the other hand, still hadn't hit his growth spurt in HS, but he's over six feet now.

I didn't recognize Jane Alexander at all. Not until she smiled; then she was unmistakable. I told her to keep smiling.

When Susan finally got our attention, she did things like calling people up to light candles on the cake. This group was the cheerleaders. Attending the reunion were seven of the eight cheerleaders, including BOTH Lambert twins.

Others in the picture are Ollie Koppell (standing at left) and Lew Holzman (in the fedora).

Susan also got to finally dance with Danny Pochoda, whom she said was the guy she was hoping would ask her to the prom. But Danny didn't like to dance then. So -- a wish fulfilled, 60 years later.

OK, let's continue in the vein of wishes 60 years later. I have my arms around Esther Blank, my senior year crush, and Bea Budnitsky (now Tovah Ladier), my sophomore year crush.

Only at Science! Here's Hiroko Otani, Marian Strauss, and Marcia Klaster. Tell me how many high schools' reunions would you walk up and catch the captain of the cheerleaders chatting with the class salutatorian? They run in completely different circles, right? But then, in how many high schools is the captain of the cheerleaders in the National Honor Society, and the salutatorian the chair of most of the dance and prom committees? Only at Science!

Howie Parness, Steve Barrish, and Marvin Kalickstein.

Warren Lesser chats with Bill Taubman, our class' Pulitzer laureate.

Jane Rosenberg Stern brought along her husband Ron Stern.

Another husband-and-wife pair, Joan and Michael Pine.

Eileen Fields and Marsha Lidsky. Eileen couldn't remember which classes we had together. In Science, we had no classes together. But we went to the same elementary school (PS-102) and junior high (JHS-125), and were in the same class there. She laughed about how long it has been since anybody mentioned 102 or 125 to her.

Rhoda Weinberg and Myrna Petrover.

Group picture! The five of us were all in the same House Plan when we got to college. Si Fenster, Rich Aronow, me, Howie Parness, and Joel Raphael.

Another group picture! The four from the swimming team who attended. George Gootblatt, me, Mike Kazarus, and Ollie Koppell.

I think just about everybody got to sign on one of the two boards that Cleonis and Constance made for the occasion. One board...

...And the other board. But what's that on the lower right?

A closer look -- and a very familiar signature, but from a non-attendee. That's OK, most of us could re-create that signature even today.

[G. M. Rae was what would today be called the Dean. If an out-of-building pass was needed, he had to sign it. If a class cut was authorized, he had to sign it. If.... You get the idea. But he had a very short and easy-to-forge signature, and most of us could scribble it off like our own. I still can. I am told that this particular one was done by Monte Wasch.]

Manhattan Penthouse was a great venue! (5th Avenue and 14th street, 17th floor.) Here's the view from the dining room window. I caught other views from other windows, but that's not what we're here to see.	As usual, Susan grabbed the microphone to MC the thing. Does one really need an MC at a HS reunion? Apparently many thought not, because Susan couldn't get people to stop talking. After several tries at "Quiet!", she commented over the live mike, "Mr Levinson never had this problem." [Mr Levinson was the teacher who did the daily announcements before class, which of course involved quieting the auditorium. He was also the one who oversaw after-school detention. The connection became apparent to those who didn't hush up instantly.]	One of the first people I recognized was Rhoda Weinberg. Recognition was easy. For the second reunion in a row, Rhoda wins the "I look the same as I did in HS" award. With Rhoda (on the left) are Ann Dickar and Myra Kaplan.	Sheila Gogol came all the way from the Netherlands to attend. Always good to see her.
Susan poses between Steve Barrish and Marvin Kalickstein.	Cleonis Golding and Michael Pine. This may be the first time since school that I've seen Cleonis without her twin sister Constance. I worried, so I asked. Constance is fine; she had a wedding to attend today and couldn't make the reunion. Cleonis looks a lot like she did in HS and college. Michael, on the other hand, still hadn't hit his growth spurt in HS, but he's over six feet now.	I didn't recognize Jane Alexander at all. Not until she smiled; then she was unmistakable. I told her to keep smiling.	When Susan finally got our attention, she did things like calling people up to light candles on the cake. This group was the cheerleaders. Attending the reunion were seven of the eight cheerleaders, including BOTH Lambert twins. Others in the picture are Ollie Koppell (standing at left) and Lew Holzman (in the fedora).
Susan also got to finally dance with Danny Pochoda, whom she said was the guy she was hoping would ask her to the prom. But Danny didn't like to dance then. So -- a wish fulfilled, 60 years later.	OK, let's continue in the vein of wishes 60 years later. I have my arms around Esther Blank, my senior year crush, and Bea Budnitsky (now Tovah Ladier), my sophomore year crush.	Only at Science! Here's Hiroko Otani, Marian Strauss, and Marcia Klaster. Tell me how many high schools' reunions would you walk up and catch the captain of the cheerleaders chatting with the class salutatorian? They run in completely different circles, right? But then, in how many high schools is the captain of the cheerleaders in the National Honor Society, and the salutatorian the chair of most of the dance and prom committees? Only at Science!	Howie Parness, Steve Barrish, and Marvin Kalickstein.
Warren Lesser chats with Bill Taubman, our class' Pulitzer laureate.	Jane Rosenberg Stern brought along her husband Ron Stern.	Another husband-and-wife pair, Joan and Michael Pine.	Eileen Fields and Marsha Lidsky. Eileen couldn't remember which classes we had together. In Science, we had no classes together. But we went to the same elementary school (PS-102) and junior high (JHS-125), and were in the same class there. She laughed about how long it has been since anybody mentioned 102 or 125 to her.
Rhoda Weinberg and Myrna Petrover.	Group picture! The five of us were all in the same House Plan when we got to college. Si Fenster, Rich Aronow, me, Howie Parness, and Joel Raphael.	Another group picture! The four from the swimming team who attended. George Gootblatt, me, Mike Kazarus, and Ollie Koppell.